Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Summary:

The papers of muralist and sculptor, Pietro Lazzari, measure 12.4 linear feet and date from 1878 to 1998. The collection documents Lazzari's life and career through biographical material, correspondence, business records, notes, writings, artwork, photographs, and printed material.

Biographical material includes biographical sketches and various identification documents. Correspondence comprises letters exchanged between Lazzari, family members, and colleagues and includes about a hundred letters concerning post office murals in several states.

Notebooks contain drawings and annotated diagrams in addition to notes on artwork and designs for inventions. Writings are both by and about Lazzari and include autobiographical material. Artwork includes sketchbooks, loose sketches, prints, and paintings.

Almost a quarter of the collection consists of photographs which include images of Lazzari, his family and colleagues, and gallery installations. Also found are photographs of several notable individuals.

Also found in the Archives of American Art is one sound tape reel of a transcribed interview with Pietro Lazzari, conducted by Harlan Phillips in 1964.

Biography Note:

Pietro Lazzari (1898-1979) was a muralist, sculptor, and educator from Washington, D.C. Born in Rome, Italy, Pietro Lazzari studied at the Ornamental School of Rome after serving in World War I. He moved permanently to the United States in 1929 and worked on two murals for the U.S. Section of Fine Arts. He also experimented with a method of painting in polychrome concrete. In 1942, Lazzari moved from New York City to Washington, D.C., where he taught painting and sculpture at The American University, and from 1948 to 1950, he headed the Art Department at Dumbarton College. Lazzari executed several bronze busts of humanitarians including Pope Paul VI, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Adlai Stevenson. He was represented by the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York.

Language Note:

Three hundred ninety letters, four notebooks, thirteen sketchbooks, one hundred clippings, five books, and a brochure are in Italian.

Provenance:

Donated 1989 by Lazzari's widow, Evelyn C. Lazzari, and in 1998 by her estate.